Merchant Navy professional quit his job to transform his gooseberry farm. His earnings boomed from Rs 45,000 to Rs 9 lakh per acre

Selling more fruit does not always mean earning more money. Shyam Singh's family in Haryana learnt that lesson when amla from their orchard fetched as little as Rs 3 per kg. Instead of abandoning the crop, the former Merchant Navy professional changed what he sold. Juice, candy, murabba, pickle and jam eventually helped turn the family's modest orchard into a processing business that Singh says now generates around Rs 9 lakh per acre.

From Merchant Navy to farming in Haryana

Singh's family planted two acres of amla in Sonipat in 2000, using 144 saplings obtained through the horticulture department. He joined the Merchant Navy three years later and worked across the Middle East before returning home following an accident and surgery. In 2010, he left his job permanently. Back home, one problem stood out. The family was receiving just Rs 3 to Rs 10 per kg for its amla, with Singh saying prices promised by middlemen could change once the produce reached the mandi. Even a good crop was bringing in only about Rs 45,000 per acre, according to Singh.

Instead of selling amla, he started processing it

The turning point came after horticulture officials suggested processing the fruit. In 2013, Singh produced about 11,000 litres of amla juice. The experiment was far from perfect: he says only 5,000 litres were sold, while 6,000 litres had to be discarded. Still, the sold juice brought in Rs 2.5 lakh, showing him the potential of value addition. The family later hired a chef from Pratapgarh to learn how to prepare products including murabba, candy, laddus and barfi.


The approach has scientific and economic backing. Researchers at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have specifically developed technologies for farmers to capture additional value through on-farm processing, including products made from aonla, the Indian gooseberry commonly called amla.

Four acres, 550 quintals and Rs 36 lakh

Today, Singh's family cultivates amla across four acres. He told 30Stades that the farm harvested 550 quintals last year. At an average mandi price of Rs 10 per kg, Singh estimates the crop would have fetched about Rs 5.5 lakh if sold fresh. Instead, he says processing it into juice, murabba, candy, pickle and jam generated around Rs 36 lakh, equivalent to roughly Rs 9 lakh per acre.

The numbers are Singh's reported business figures rather than independently audited returns, and farmers' earnings can vary with yield, processing costs and market access. Research nevertheless supports the broader idea of improving amla economics through better cultivation. An ICAR study found double-hedgerow planting produced substantially higher yields and net returns than the conventional square system under the conditions tested.

The real lesson was finding a market

Singh now sells through different channels, including consumers, retailers, wholesalers and Ayurvedic manufacturers. He also intercrops turmeric and mustard and uses farm-made vermicompost. His experience offers a larger lesson than the headline numbers. Growing the crop was only the first step; processing and finding buyers changed its economics. As Singh puts it, “Farmers must go for food processing as much as possible. That’s the key to profitability in farming.”